Martin Luther King, Jr. Day community concert at Emmanuel

January 5, 2019 1:30 am
Pete Seeger entertaining Eleanor Roosevelt (center), honored guest at a racially integrated Valentine’s Day party marking the opening of a Canteen of the United Federal Labor, CIO, in then-segregated Washington, D.C., 1944.
Pete Seeger entertaining Eleanor Roosevelt (center), honored guest at a racially integrated Valentine’s Day party marking the opening of a Canteen of the United Federal Labor, CIO, in then-segregated Washington, D.C., 1944.

Submitted by Sharon Abreu.

Sharon Abreu and Michael Hurwicz will host a community concert celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the legacy of legendary folk singer Pete Seeger, as 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of Seeger’s birth.

Songs and poems will be shared by a variety of local performers on Sunday, Jan. 20, 3-5 p.m. at Emmanuel Parish Hall. And there will be singalongs.

The event is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome and will benefit the Orcas Island Food Bank, the Emmanuel Church Community Dinner Kitchen and Irthlingz Arts-Based Environmental Education to help fund the first Orcas Peace Summit in September 2019.

Refreshments will be provided – more are welcome. The event is co-sponsored by the Emmanuel Episcopal Parish and Irthlingz Arts-Based Environmental Education.

Dr. King is one of the most important figures in U.S. history. His courage, intelligence, determination, organizing skills and commitment to peace and social justice serve as a powerful inspiration not only to black Americans but to Americans of every cultural background and to people around the world.

Seeger used his voice in support of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. He was also a leader in the labor, peace and environmental movements. Seeger dedicated his life to social justice, peace and understanding between people of all cultural backgrounds. Born on May 3, 1919, he passed away in January 2014.